MAYOR DIDN’T MOLLIFY HIS CRITICS

A few supporters say he deserves chance; most want Filner out

Mayor Bob Filner’s plan to check into an unspecified behavioral clinic for two weeks without resigning drew near universal condemnation Friday.

Those who have accused him of sexual harassment called it nothing more than a tactic to hang on to office.

“Despicable,” “national joke,” “disgusting” and “nightmare” were common words as San Diegans and others reacted to Filner’s announcement that he will begin therapy on Aug. 5.

“Rehabilitation is appropriate AFTER his resignation,” former San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye told U-T San Diego in a written statement.

Frye was among three people who first brought the mayor’s alleged history of sexual harassment to light on July 10.

Outside City Hall, retired sales rep Rob Schick had harsh words for the mayor, whom he referred to as “Filthner.”

“He’s like our West Coast version of Anthony Weiner,” said Schick, referring to the former congressman turned mayoral candidate in New York who is embroiled in a scandal over his online sexual messages.

“I think this is worse.”

Schick, who lives in Santee, held up anti-Filner signs and said he was concerned that the mayor is hurting the region’s image. “He is despicable,” Schick said.

Seven of the city’s nine council members are now united in calling for Filner to step down. Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, a Democrat, on Friday became the latest to join in.

“Sexual harassment is demeaning and harmful behavior which cannot be tolerated, and I respect the courage of the women who have come forward. I have personally met with the mayor and requested he resign,” she said in a statement.

Councilman Scott Sherman, a Republican, raised the specter of jail, intimating the mayor’s alleged actions may constitute a form of sexual assault.

City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, also a Republican, said Filner staying in office is an affront.

“At the end of the day, Mayor Filner continues to put his needs in front of the needs of his victims and the needs of citizens of San Diego,” she said. “By not stepping down, it is an insult to the victims and an insult to women everywhere.”

While a recent U-T San Diego/10 News Poll showed nearly 70 percent of San Diegans want Filner to resign, there are still some in his corner.

“I stand firm that you stand by your friends when they are in need,” Morones said. “I had no idea about his history and was as shocked as anyone. But he deserves the opportunity to get help and let’s see what happens after two weeks.”

Delia Talamantez, a former UC San Diego administrator, also is willing to give Filner a chance.

“In government we allow people to get rehab and get help,” she said. “I believe that, regardless of the position that he holds, that we should be able to allow that for him.”

Talamantez said Filner’s long record of support for civil rights and progressive causes before and after his two decades representing San Diego in Congress factor into her view.

“He’s been there for the community,” she said. “He’s opened doors. So I believe he should be given a second chance.”

Those views were hard to find Friday, however.

Attorney Rebecca Pennington was in downtown San Diego as Filner made his announcement. She said the scandal has rendered the mayor powerless.

“When he returns, he will still be inept and incapable,” she said. “He’s going to have so much controversy surrounding him that it will take away from getting things done.”

Said attorney Richard Stevenson: “This will be a continued distraction for the city.”

The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s board called for Filner’s resignation Friday.

Delores Jacob, chief executive of the LGBT Center, said the organization’s board “condemns … the victimization of and discrimination against women.”

Meanwhile, more members of the Filner administration continued to depart. The woman he hired to run the city’s Commission for Arts and Culture announced she was quitting late Thursday night.

“I cannot in good conscience remain part of the Filner administration,” Denise Montgomery said.

That same evening the local Democratic Party’s central committee asked Filner to step down by a vote of 34-6. Local Democratic Party Chairwoman Francine Busby said Filner’s rehab plan was overdue.

“This is absolutely the first step he needs to take because he needs to get this help,” she said Friday.

After initially speculating the party’s call for him to resign could be rescinded in light of his announcement, Busby said a short time later that the demand stands.

A stern reaction came from Lani Lutar, the former head of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and now executive director of the local think tank Equinox Center.

“I think Mayor Filner has showed us that he is more concerned about himself than he is San Diegans,” she said. “Two weeks of private counseling that he says he is going to is not going to change what he has done or how people are going to perceive him. He is not capable of leading the city.”

At City Hall, it appeared business as usual as Filner was making his statement. Ellen Ericksen, an animal activist, office manager and consultant, was on her way to a 1 p.m. meeting with Filner to discuss her concerns about fireworks at SeaWorld. She said she voted for him but was neutral in her support now.

“Any violation to any human or animal from someone in a superior position is wrong no matter what their job is,” she said.

One of the women who recently came forward to accuse Filner of unwanted sexual advances criticized Filner for staying in office. “This is a man addicted to power and control and he’s not about to give it up,” Morgan Rose told CNN.

A psychologist for the San Diego Unified School District, Rose has said Filner cornered her in a restaurant booth and tried to kiss her four times in 2009.

Rose said that Filner still “gets his addiction, he still gets his fix of keeping the power and control” by going into therapy while keeping his job.